Bad Belts

I’m not sure if it’s related to the plumping-up of America or whether more pregnant women are flying, but four out of the 13 unapproved parts notification alerts issued by the FAA since April have been for seat belt extenders, those 22 in.-or-so-long fabric leashes click into a normal size belt to super-size it.

“During a FAA Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUP) investigation it was determined that GillickTravel.Com, sold seat belt extenders for installation on a type certificated product without FAA manufacturer approval,” says the FAA in a Nov. 23 notice. “These seat belt kits were advertised for sale on the www.gillicktravel.com website. The FAA advises that operators “quarantine” the parts “to prevent installation or use” if they are found.

Clever names for companies that sell the extenders is common theme among at least two of the selectees in the FAA unapproved seat belt extender parts list – Think Big Products (doing business as LivingXL) and More of Me to Love.

I’d write more on this burgeoning topic, but I think I need to go out for a long walk…

By the way, GillickTravel must have not taken the news well, based on the notice on its website:

Gillick Travel is no longer in business. We want to thank all of our customers for doing business with us. The time has come to move on to other endeavors. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. All current customers and individuals with questions can still contact us at: info@gillicktravel.com. - Posted on: October 8, 2012